Superstar Chef Todd English Just Swooped Back Into One Of His Restaurants And Made It More Incredible Than Ever

That's why, for the last few months, superstar chef Todd English
has been tirelessly reworking the New York City location of his
first restaurant, Olives. The result is a refreshing experience,
perfect for your palate, that intelligently uses its friendly
space in Union Square's W Hotel.

That is, after all, what English intended.

"The whole idea is that it's (the food) easy to eat," English
told Business Insider. "It's using common food
in uncommon ways."

He's talking about a menu full of new, fresh, Mediterranean
dishes that put surprising twists on familiar dishes — things
like crab toast with tahini aioli, for one.

Mixed ceviche with avocado olive oil
panna cotta

And then there's the restaurant itself. English reimagined that
as well.

The revamp makes the place feel bigger, with more open space, and
now boasts more elegant light fixtures and a bigger bar. On top
of that, the location in Union Square is a convenient meeting spot for Midtown
and Downtown businesspeople.

Think of it as your new power breakfast or lunch spot, English
suggested.

That's an excellent start, but an excellent restaurant isn't just
about the food or the design, it's also about the vibe. The
larger bar helps. On a Thursday night it's packed with friendly
minglers (hotel guests and beautiful New Yorkers) listening to
live mixing spun by DJ Rak. He's hip, they're hip, and their
presence adds something critical to the whole project — buzz.

After all, no man is an island, even if they are an energetic,
international brand like Todd English. Next month, he'll be at
the
Bogota Food and Wine Festival to benefit
Escuela Taller de Bogota, a technical school. And you can bet
that he'll be moving around the country to his various
restaurants, tweaking this and that.

For the time being though, he's paying close attention to Olives
in Union Square, and it feels pretty special.